


Just a Casual, Easy Thing

by Sandrine Shaw (Sandrine)



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: (unless you ask Mick who definitely doesn't do dating), Casual Sex, Dating, Denial of Feelings, Developing Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Missing Scene, Rough Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 09:30:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15046010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandrine/pseuds/Sandrine%20Shaw
Summary: If Ray wants to play with fire, Mick has no intention of stopping him.





	Just a Casual, Easy Thing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [notsafeforowls](https://archiveofourown.org/users/notsafeforowls/gifts).



> Written for notsafeforowls / mickroryed in the DCCW Rarepair Swap 2018 on Tumblr. Thanks to my wonderful beta glitterburn!
> 
> notsafeforowls - I loved your prompts, and I hope you enjoy the fic! :)

 

The first time they have sex is after the shitfest that's Star City, 2046.

The anger burns under Mick's skin like a wildfire. Anger at Snart for betraying him, anger at Rip for trying to turn him into a neutered attack dog for a bunch of heroes, anger at the world at large for never letting him keep a good thing, and he doesn't know how to quell it. 

And then Haircut's suddenly at his door, all puppy-dog eyes and earnest concern and sickening feelings, as if by saving his life, Mick's signed up to become his pet project. It only makes the anger flare up stronger. 

The surprised little whelp Ray gives when Mick fists his hand in the front of his shirt and pulls him inside his quarters is satisfying in a similar way as staring right into a flickering flame.

Mick pushes him against the wall and crashes their lips together in a kiss like a punch, all fury and no tenderness, aiming to send Ray running and make him abandon his fool's errand to somehow save Mick. He doesn't want to be saved, he doesn't want Ray to keep looking at him like it's on him to fix Mick, and if he needs to scare him off a little, nothing's easier than that.

That's not what happens, though, because clearly he hadn't factored in how damn stubborn and flexible and foolish Ray actually is. When his hands come up, it's not to push Mick away but to pull him closer, and he returns the kiss with a fierceness Mick didn't know someone as calm and laid-back as Ray possessed.

This works too, Mick decides. It's just another way to burn through the anger. If Ray wants to play with fire, Mick has no intention of stopping him.

#

It should be a one-time thing, but it's not. It doesn't happen again for a while, because Ray's busy playing house with his little birdie and Mick makes a stupid choice signing the ship over to the pirates and then gets marooned and ends up being mind-washed by the time pigs. That should be the end of it, really.

But Ray's like a dog with a bone. A stupid, annoying little puppy, sure, but once he's got his teeth into something, he won't let go anymore. He keeps seeking Mick out, even if he shouldn't. Even after Mick's betrayal makes the others give him a wide berth, even after things go to shit and Snart gets himself blown up and Mick wants to turn his back on the whole mission, Ray's the one who follows him and pulls him back in and keeps calling him his partner. Who almost dies for him, more than once, and saves him from becoming a zombie. 

If Ray were as much of a genius as he claims to be, he'd be keeping his distance. But that's the thing about crazy smart people – they can be really stupid, too. Ray's as smart as they come, and he keeps doing dumb shit like letting Mick push into his quarters after they get home from another botched mission. Like getting on his knees and looking up at Mick with those big brown eyes as he fumbles with Mick's pants. Like letting Mick fuck him in the sparring room and leaving finger-shaped bruises all over his skin.

Like beaming at Mick with a blissed-out smile on his face, licking his kiss-bruised lips and saying shit like, "I can get us something to eat from the galley and then maybe we could go for round two?" 

And Mick... well, Mick never claimed to be smart, but he's not stupid enough to pass on a good thing that's freely offered. He likes sex, and Ray's ridiculously pretty and decent company and misguided enough to want him, so Mick's not gonna put an end to this until Ray figures out that Mick ain't worth his time and finds himself a nice hero chick or guy to settle down with. It's only a matter of time. Until then, Mick intends to enjoy himself.

#

He stays away from Ray in that fucked-up reality fake Snart and his Legion of Doom buddies create. Whenever he runs into Ray wearing his janitor gear on the corridors and smiling at him, his stomach crunches unpleasantly, like a bad case of food poisoning, and there's something about Ray punching him after he got his memories back that feels better than it should.

Mick won't remember any of this later, because that version of him dies before it can even happen. It's a good thing, too, because he doesn't need to carry around any more guilt with him, and maybe there's a limit to what even someone as soft-hearted as Ray would be willing to forgive. But that Ray's dead, too, and this one here knows nothing about Mick's most recent betrayal or what he sacrificed to have his old partner back.

Ray finds him after he dropped off Snart in 2014, drinking himself into a stupor in his quarters. 

He locked the door, but either he didn't do it right or Gideon decided he'd be better off with company. Fuck Gideon, and fuck Haircut for still thinking Mick's worth fixing.

"Are you okay?" Ray asks, and Mick's too tired to lie.

"No," he admits, his voice as rough and raw as he feels.

He watches Ray's throat work as he swallows. "I'm sorry about Snart. It must have been hard, putting him back knowing how things would turn out."

Mick grunts and takes another gulp from the bottle, trying not to think of how much he wanted to change the past. It's fucked up, how they're on a time ship and they still can't fix shit. He gives Ray a measuring look, taking in the sad twist of his mouth and the pity in his gaze. The sight makes bile rise up Mick's throat. 

He points a reproachful finger at Ray. "If you wanna have a heart-to-heart, go and find someone else. If you wanna fuck, you can stay." 

Ray flushes and looks away, and for a moment Mick thinks he's gonna turn and walk away. Maybe it's finally sunk in that Mick's a lost cause. But then he turns a brittle smile on him and says, "Sure, Mick," in that stupid soft tone that makes Mick uncomfortable. 

He's about to call Ray on it, but he's already pulling off his shirt, revealing smooth muscles and fading bruises, and impulse control has never been something Mick was good at or even saw much point in.

#

So, yeah, the thing between Ray and him goes back a while, and Mick would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it. It's regular sex he doesn't have to spend a dime on, and pretty damn good sex on top of it. Ray's got a kinky streak behind the whole Boy Scout surface; he likes Mick to hold him down and press him up against any available flat surface and mark up his skin with bruises and stubble burn. And he ain't half bad to be around either, even if he talks too damn much and geeks out over boring science shit.

They're on the same page, or at least Mick thought they were, because when Ray asked him to come over to Star City while they were on a layover between missions, Mick thought he was in trouble. Thought there was something that needed burning or stealing, or someone whose ass Mick was supposed to kick, and fair enough, he's always down for a little violence and crime. 

Instead, there's a blanket at the beach and a cooler full of beer, and a barbecue with enough food to feed the entire team, except none of them are here; it's just him and Ray. 

Mick narrows his eyes at the tableau in from of him before fixing Ray with the same suspicious look. "What's this?" When Ray looks like he doesn't understand the question, Mick remembers how damn oblivious he can be at times, so he specifies, "This better not be some kind of date."

Ray's wince is all the answer Mick needs, even if it's clearly not the answer he wanted. He likes casual sex. No complications, no awkward feelings, no messy break-ups. This, though? This screams messy. 

He sighs. "Look, Haircut. I don't do the whole mushy relationship stuff. I like things the way they are."

Ray blinks in confusion. He shakes his head. "I hate to break it to you, Mick, but we've been in a relationship for a while now."

"No, we're not," Mick argues. "Fucking ain't a relationship."

It figures that someone like Ray gets his wires crossed there and mistakes getting off for some kind of romantic declaration. Mick hates the way guilt curls in his stomach at the flash of hurt that passes across Ray's face. He tells himself it's Ray's own fault if he caught feelings, but he doesn't like seeing Ray like that, without the bright smile and the never-fading optimism. 

Soon enough, though, the old stubborn determination is back. "No, of course it's not. But to be fair, it's not like we're just having sex all the time. We have movie nights... not the team, just the two of us. And we spar together. We even do laundry together. You come to my quarters all the time, even when we're too tired or too fucked up to mess around. I mean, there's a bunch of your clothes in my room."

Mick focuses on the last bit, because that's the part he actually has a counter-argument for. "Don't mean a thing. I leave my shit everywhere."

"You have your own drawer. And a toothbrush!" There's exasperation in Ray's tone, and sure, he's got a point. It's convenient to have stuff in Ray's quarters for the next time they wake tangled up together naked and sweaty and Gideon announces they need to be on the bridge at once because time's all broken up again. It happens. A lot. Doesn't mean Ray's his fucking boyfriend. 

Ray sighs and gives Mick an unhappy, resigned look. "Look, if you — If you want to keep seeing other people, that's okay, I guess, I just —"

"What other people?" Something about the suggestion makes Mick's chest feel tight and the hair at the back of his neck stand up. How the hell did Ray go from wanting to have a fucking picnic at the beach like they're stuck in a fucking rom-com to talking about fucking around? Mick hasn't been with anyone else since — well, actually, since those two chicks in 2046 batted their pretty eyes at him. "I ain't fuckin' anyone else. Are you?"

He doesn't like the idea of someone else's hands on Ray, possessiveness curling in his stomach like a hungry dragon.

"What? No, of course I'm not sleeping with other people. You're the one who's panicking at the idea of monogamy." Before Mick can protest, because he's never _panicked_ in his fucking life, Ray shakes his head and chuckles. "So, to recapitulate, we're having sex and you like spending time with me and you more or less share a living space with me and you're not sleeping with anyone else. What part of that doesn't sound like a relationship to you?"

Mick mulls the idea over. He wants to argue, but the problem is, there _is_ nothing he can argue about. "Huh. Can we not call it a relationship?"

Ray's face lights up with a smile, and Mick would begrudge him the victory if it wasn't a much better look on him than the anxiety and hurt before. 

"Sure, Mick," he says. "We can call it whatever you like. We don't have to call this a date either."

"Good. Dating's for pussies."

"Right, and we're a bunch of brave, manly time travelers just enjoying a nice meal together after a successful mission." Ray nods gravely, and Mick can't shake the impression that he's being mocked. He scowls at Ray. But then Ray says, "So, you wanna light up the barbecue? I was going to pre-heat it before you came, but then I thought you'd probably like to do it and it's not like we're on a schedule." He grins and motions to the Heat Gun Mick's brought along when he thought they were gonna kick some ass. 

And, well. Maybe the whole dating thing isn't gonna be so bad after all.

End.


End file.
